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The Enviroment:
INDIA - Kerala Maraikulam
A CGH Earth Experience
The village of Maraikulam lies on a forgotten shore, midway up the Malabar coast, where the Indian Ocean finally decides that it has now become the Arabian Sea.
And so, Marari Beach Resort is a celebration of Kerala's coastal fishing villages. Inspired by this ancient way of life, we sought to capture its essence and create a new experience in sensitive travel for the modern-day visitor. A beach is a beach, until you can seek out its living heart, the culture that calls it home.
Marari Beach sprawls across 55 acres of lawns, far-flung lotus ponds and whispering coconut groves, all threaded through with stone- flagged pathways. A windbreak of palms runs the length of the property, a protective cover that reduces even the gustiest sea winds to mere caresses. And beyond is a milk-and-azure ocean, fringed by a beach more ochre than yellow, a sand-meets-sea combination, clients are not likely to find anywhere else.
Being Responsible
Marari Beach Staff practice water harvesting and the resort is a chemical-free zone where only natural oils and local remedies are used for pest control. Vermiculture and composting keep the soil fertile, both in the organic farm and on the grounds. In fact, you can not only see these activities at work, you can even participate! Help pick some seasonal fruit or even plant a tree or two.
Most of the greens, fruits and vegetables for the restaurants come from our own organic garden, across the lane. And the days catch, of course, gets served up as fresh as can be, practically straight off the fishing boats.
For a Kerala Responsible and Luxury Experience please consider the suggested itinerary.
How you will reside
Modelled on the fishermens' dwellings of Mararikulam, the accommodations are a fine balance between traditional form and modern function. The roof is palm thatch, but CGH added a concrete base that keeps the air-conditioning in and the odd insect out. Bathrooms too, combine modern fixtures with the traditional Kerala open-roofed style. And the little taps outside each cottage are another local touch. The fisher folk use them to clean the sand off their feet, and you can do likewise. Barefoot is a great way to be at Marari Beach, even indoors! Cottages like the one we've just described form the standard accommodation , but if clients favour more private luxuries, they can pick one of our pool villa cottages, which are suite-style and have a secluded walled courtyard with a private pool.
How you will eat
At Marari Beach, it’s possible to enjoy the simple traditional dishes of the fisherfolk (along with, of course , a variety of international cuisine favourites) at verandah- style restaurant. Dinners are candlelit, often with live music (the traditional kerala trio comprises a harmonium, flute and tablas) . And the beachside features an evening grill serving up some select seafood. Seafood is always seasonal varieties, based on the fresh catch of the day. Another favourite is the fisherman's curries, simmered in clay pots, and served up with a traditional leaf spoon.
The Bar at Marari is in a beautiful 200-year old building, deep in a thicket of trees and lotus ponds. Enjoy a 'Panchamrutam' (a heady local concoction) in the midst of colonial -style spaces and serenity. If clients want to stay by the beach, there is the Beach Shack.
Amenities
The long beach where take long walks or bicycle rides; Excursions down to the village and explore; Regular cookery classes most evenings, to learn and enjoy Kerala cuisine even when you go back home; Full size pool; beach volleyball and tennis for the more active; Lots of books and stuff in the clubhouse too; Ayervedic Massages and Yoga classes will get clients into a deeper state of relaxation.
About People
Many of CGH’s staff are local people, born and brought up within a stone's throw of the properties. So not only do they know the land and the culture intimately, they are deeply concerned about preserving them both. They undergo, not the rigid graded programs so often followed by large chains, but a simple, practical discipline to evolve ourselves. They learn from their seniors, in a manner that echoes India's ancient 'gurukul' system. It, somehow, allows a naturally hospitable people to be their naturally hospitable selves.
The Wellness Choice
Marari Beach has a fully equipped Ayurvedic centre, so clients can get all the benefits of this ancient system of medicine, in the hands of the expert masseuses and they feel reborn.
There are also regular yoga classes on the beach, in the thick of a cool coconut grove. The locale does wonders for your inner serenity. To an Ayurvedic masseur, giving a massage is a form of worship, and the centre at Marari reflects the spiritual nature of the treatments.
Expert doctors guide the process, and the result is a powerful healing system, the results of which clients can measure even after two or three sessions.
Suitable For
Eco-friendly tourist, SPA holidays, Ayurveda & Yoga Session, Cooking Lessons, Environment Programs, Local people sustainability
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